


Love Looks Not With the Eyes

by needleyecandy



Series: Fucking February [51]
Category: Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, Anal Sex, Curses, First Time, M/M, Quests
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-21 09:28:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9541535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/needleyecandy/pseuds/needleyecandy
Summary: Loki is the youngest of the three princes of the realm, and though he is the sweetest, most innocent, and most beautiful, he can find no mate, for Gaea herself has cursed him in her jealousy. A seer is summoned to court and tells the king and queen that their son's fated mate is a creature so dreadful that he is feared by the gods themselves. His parents weep, but destiny cannot be denied, and he is sent off to meet his monster.





	1. Finding

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back to another Fucking February! This year's fics were either inspired by scents or had them setting the mood while I wrote (which I always do, but this time I wrote it down). Today's was inspired by osmanthus EO.
> 
> Enjoy!

Once upon a time there lived a king and queen in their city by the sea. They had three children, each more beautiful than the last, and they were called Helblindi, Byleistr, and Loki. People came from far and wide to admire Loki's beauty, which they said was greater than that of Gaea herself, so that her temples fell empty as all her praises were turned to the young prince. When it came time, a mate was easily found for Helblindi, for one day he would become king after his father, Farbauti. A mate was easily found for Byleistr, for as the second son he was greatly desired as the mate for another's heir. Yet though Loki was the most sweet and obedient and beautiful, no mate was found for him.

Farbauti sent for a seer to ask whether Loki was destined to pass his life alone. _No,_ said the seer, _but nor shall he be the mate of any mortal. He has brought divine anger upon himself with his beauty, and now he is to be wedded to one who lives outside of life, whose footstep causes the earth to tremble and who is feared by the gods themselves._

 _He shall not go,_ Farbauti vowed.

 _Then you will bring destruction upon your kingdom, for all that is destined must come to pass lest the world fall into twilight,_ answered the seer.

Laufey, Loki's mother, wept and clutched him to her, her tears diamant against his raven hair.

 _And these shall be the only crown he ever wears,_ Farbauti said sadly.

The ship was built and Loki's garb of simple virgin white was changed for purple finery and covered in jewels and he was led to the sea-shore. There the priests performed all the rituals of wedding and death. He was taken onto the ship and laid upon his bier and as the tide went out it carried him away.

He had been given neither food to extend his life nor weapons to shorten it, for the seer had decreed that all must be to the will of the terrible mate who awaited him. And so he lay on his bier for three nights and three days before he felt his ship come to rest upon a shore.

When he rose and left his tent, he found himself at the edge of an island. The beach was of a pure white sand, purple now in the eldritch light, but he had eyes only for the vast palace that loomed beyond. His legs shook from hunger as he walked up the path and through the door. Inside there were columns of gold and silver walls. The ceiling was of carved wood and ivory and the floor a mosaic of jewels.

A feast sprang up before him and he ate. A staircase sprang up before him and he climbed. He opened a door and found a bed, huge and thick and soft after the wooden bier, and he laid down to sleep.

He woke in the dark, dark night to the sound of another's breath. "Are you my mate?" he asked.

"I am. I am your husband," came the answer. His voice was low as thunder and soft as velvet, and far gentler than Loki had been told to expect.

"I am Loki," he answered.

"Tell me, Loki, did you come here to offer yourself willingly?"

"I did."

"But they took your weapons so that once you were adrift you could not escape your fate."

"I could have thrown myself into the sea."

"Such an act would have destroyed your realm."

"I have no care for a realm that would send me to wed a monster."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because no one but the monster desired me. My brothers are long wedded. My friends are long wedded. It is a sorrow to always sleep alone."

"What do you know of the marriage bed?"

"Only that joys are found there."

"Do you wish to discover them?"

"Yes," Loki whispered.

"And so you shall," came the answering whisper, and then there were lips against his own, soft and sweet. The very touch made the blood dance in his veins. A gentle tongue prodded at his lips; not knowing what to do, he did nothing. A gentle hand caught at his chin to pull it down. He obeyed and the tongue slipped inside, teasing his lips and caressing within. "You may do this, too," he was told. Loki did. It felt strange at first, to feel a mouth that was not _his_ mouth, but it tasted of sweet wine and spices, and when their tongues slid past one another his husband moaned softly and the low sound sparked something inside him.

His silken sheets were growing heated, and he shivered in pleasure when they were drawn back and the cool night air swept across his skin. The bed dipped to one side as a weight settled upon it. "May I undress you?" asked his husband.

"Yes," he said.

The hands that skimmed over him did not feel monstrous. Large, yes, and strong, but also sensitive and sure, and the fingers were so very gentle. There was a tug at the hem of his tunic and he sat up and raised his arms. It was drawn away from him and then those hands were on his skin, the touches light and undemanding, coaxing forth feelings he had not known existed. They eased him back down before settling on the little buds on his chest to tease at them, rubbing over them, pinching _so_ sweetly until there was a response from below.

"You begin to stir?"

"I do," he sighed. He felt himself becoming languid beneath his husband's touch, almost drowsy with the desire for more.

Heated lips settled over one nipple and the warm hands moved lower, unlacing his breeches and drawing back the fabric. His part was getting strangely thick and heavy, almost aching with it, until he realized with a start that it ached to be touched.

"Please, touch it," he murmured.

Those lips curved against his skin. "Touch what?"

"My part," he whispered. Heat seared his cheeks as he spoke.

"You have many parts," came the answer. "Your hand is a part-" and his hand was touched, "-and your knee is a part-" and his knee received a squeeze through the thick cloth, "-and your-"

"Then tell me what I must say," Loki pleaded.

"If you desire me to touch your cock, you must say so."

Loki squeezed his eyes shut despite the utter darkness in which they were veiled. "Please touch my cock," he asked.

The mattress shifted as his husband sat up and then there was a single finger drawing a long, lazy pass down the length of it and it was as though every inch of him had woken up after years of sleep. He made a choked sound and curled his hips up, chasing more.

"Patience, my sweet husband. We have all night."

"But I feel as though I may crawl out of my skin..."

"You shall have all you need. You have my word. You may touch too, you know."

Loki reached for him then, tracing his fingers over all he could reach, trying to conjure an image through his fingertips. The hair was long and soft, small braids holding it back from his face. His nose was generous, as were his lips, which he opened only to tighten them about Loki's finger and suck upon it. Another wave of desire tore through him, and another, and he continued his explorations downwards with a single hand. The lust burning in his veins perhaps colored his impression, but even without it he was sure he would still have found this a most appealing form, broad of shoulder and arm, a solid torso tapering to a narrow waist. When he hesitated, a strong hand took hold of his own and pressed it against the firmness below. Even through the leather breeches Loki could feel its heat. His hand was moved up and down twice to show what was wanted of him before he was let go.

He rubbed against it, paying close attention to the way it began to twitch beneath his attentions. A moment later there came a long, shuddering sigh and Loki felt a thrill run up his spine at the realization that it was him, that he was the one doing this. "Am I doing well?" he asked.

The answer was a low growl. "You are." He rose then, letting Loki's hand fall away, and began to tug at Loki's breeches. He raised first his hips and then his feet, and then he was bare.

"Will you touch me more?" Loki asked.

The answer came in the form of sweet caresses, every nerve sparkling with delight as huge hands swirled across him, spiraling towards his cock and finally touching it again. It was just as light and teasing as before but did not stop this time, fingers trailing down and down until he felt the skin at the tip being eased carefully back and something warm and wet drip onto his stomach. He had gone feverish, tossing fitfully beneath the deluge of attention and whimpering and gasping as foreign sensations tore through him.

"No, please..." he moaned when it stopped.

His words were met with a laugh. "I would have your first pleasure be with me," he was told.

There were the sounds of buckles and fabric and then the bed dipped again as his husband joined him, hovering above Loki on his hands and knees. These kisses were not so gentle as before, but he did not want them to be. They were passionate and demanding, just as he wanted. They lasted far too long and far too short before his husband broke away to crawl downwards, fixing his lips over the pulse that thudded in Loki's throat and sucking. He arched his neck, lengthening and exposing it.

"That feels good," he said. "I would not have thought."

"Many things feel good that will surprise you. We will do them all."

"Yes..." Loki sighed. He stretched luxuriously as the kisses made their way farther down, pausing to tease once again at his nipples before continuing. Lower they went, lower, and Loki began to wonder if he was going to-

He gave a startled cry and his body jerked halfway up as his husband took the tip of his cock into his mouth. He teased at the narrow slit with the tip of his tongue and he was right, Loki could never have dreamed this would feel so good, so warm and wet and perfect.

It slipped away and his husband spoke again. "I am going to ready you now. It will feel strange at first, but I will be gentle, so you should have no pain, and once you become accustomed you will find pleasure even in the readying."

Loki nodded. "Yes," he breathed. He did not know what _readying_ meant but every fiber of his being cried out for more. Readying could only be good. Especially when the warm mouth descended upon him once again.

It slid farther down, taking more in, lips tight around the shaft. There was a nudging between his knees and he parted them. His husband's weight came to settle between them and he realized his position in a flash of clarity, naked and sprawling on the bed with legs wantonly apart, someone whose face he had never seen kneeling between them and doing such things to his body he had not imagined even a day before.

There was another shifting of the mattress and then the sound of a cork before his husband spoke to him once again. "I am about to begin. Relax and breathe deeply if it helps you."

"I understand," Loki answered. A mere instant before he had been ready – more than ready – to begin, but the kindly meant words gave him a jolt of fear.

A finger, slippery with oil, eased between his cheeks and he realized what was about to happen. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to relax. It circled and teased and pressed but did not push in until the tension had eased from Loki's body.

He had been told the truth; the intrusion felt strange beyond words, but it did not hurt. It moved slowly, pausing between each knuckle, letting him adjust. When it was fully in his husband spoke again. "You are all right?" he asked.

Loki gave a shaking breath. "I am."

Kisses peppered his hip as it withdrew and pressed back in. It moved in and out of him until the resistance faded. And then there were two. This was tighter, his ring stretching to accommodate them, but there was more oil and the same cautious pace and he was still all right. They pumped in and out of him just like before, coaxing the tight muscle to calmness. They twisted and spread and then he felt everything shift and the broad pads of the fingers were curling upwards, beckoning, exploring. They hit something and Loki gave a startled cry.

"Ah, there it is," came the pleased response.

"What is it?" Loki asked in a ragged voice.

"A little nub, nothing more, but capable of giving great-" He stroked over it again and his words were lost beneath the noises that poured from Loki's throat.

More stretching followed and a third finger, _so_ tight until he adjusted, but there were long licks up his cock and more kisses, and even the tightness, though it still made him a little frightened, was beginning to feel good. The fourth seemed like it would be impossible, but even that fit in, and his body finally accepted it without strain as he slid them in and out, teasing sometimes across the bump inside.

"There. Now I think you're ready," he was told.

"Ready? But I thought..." Loki said. His arousal had not faded but now, overlaid with apprehension, his heart had become a mess of confusion.

"You thought I was readying you for this?" was the reply, punctuated by another stroke over the nub inside.

"Yes," Loki gasped.

"Oh, my sweet. This is as nothing to what we shall do. Roll over," he was told as the fingers drew away, "and lie on your stomach with a pillow under your hips. That will make it easiest for me to pleasure you as you deserve."

It was awkward, rolling over with such a massive form between his legs, but he managed it. His heart skipped a beat as he settled onto the pillow. His hips jutted up and his legs were still wide and even in the darkness it left him terrifically vulnerable.

A warm hand rested upon one cheek, fingers just brushing into his half-parted cleft. "You are shaking. Have I not taken every care to be good to you?"

"You have, but..."

"But you are still afraid. Peace, husband. I will show you there is nothing to fear." The other hand came up, this one slick with oil, to grasp his other cheek and pull them apart.

Loki gasped – even with all that had come before, this was a shock – and then there were kisses _there_. Licks followed kisses, the thick tongue even darting inside. He did not realize he was moving his body until his husband sat up and Loki's hips tried to chase him. A flare burned over his face and despite the darkness he hid his face in his arm.

"I love your desire," his husband said simply. "I want, very much, for you to enjoy this with me." There was a shuffling behind him and one hand let go and a moment later there was something thick and hot pressed against him. "You understand what I mean to do?"

Loki choked on his breath. The fingers were one thing, they felt good, but even through heavy breeches he was able to tell that this was huge, and now it was about to push inside him. "It's so big," he whimpered.

"Sssh," soothed his husband. "It is, which is why I was careful to ready you. If you do as I say, it will give neither hurt nor harm."

Loki nodded. "What must I do?"

"First, you must breathe long and deep. Not these little rabbity gasps. I will wait."

He managed to slow his breath first into long shuddering gasps, and then into even breaths.

"Good. Now keep breathing like that and push back against me. Not with your hips, just with your sweet little hole."

His breath caught at hearing such a thing said aloud, but he did as he was told, bearing down despite how strange it felt.

"So good. Keep doing that for me," he was told as it began to slide in. It was tight and terrifying and he began to tense up.

The pressure stopped and eased as a gentle hand began to smooth his hair. "Easy, easy. Just keep pushing against me. It doesn't hurt, does it?"

"No, but..."

"Then you have nothing to fear. And once we have started, it will be easier."

"I will try."

"That is all I ask. Tell me when I may try again."

He focused again on doing as he was told, finally murmuring a soft, "All right."

This time he did not panic, not even when he was stretched so tight he felt he might burst, and then... yes, it was better after the head was within him. The shaft was thick, too, but he knew now that he could do it.

"Mmm... oh, Loki, if only you knew how you felt inside. So hot for me, so tight and slick. Does it begin to feel good for you too?"

Loki stared, wide-eyed, into the dark. "I'm so full. I didn't know I could feel so full."

His husband mimicked the movements of his fingers as he slid in, going little by little, letting him adjust. His breath began to speed from something altogether different from the roughness of before and then the next push came up against the nub and he cried out.

"Better now, hmmm?"

"It is. Oh, I had no idea..."

"But you guessed."

"A little. I'd been told that it would be good, but this-" he broke off with another cry, and another, he was so full and it was so good, he never wanted to be doing anything else ever again. It drove in deep and drew back until the head was tugging at his rim before sliding in again, over and over, each time more perfect than the last. And then he was suddenly empty, whimpering a complaint at the loss before it even registered in his mind. "Why did you stop?" he panted.

"I grow close. I want you up on your knees for me."

Huge, warm hands fastened about his hips and lifted him effortlessly. They continued holding him as he was filled once again, which was fortunate, for there was no way his own legs could have held himself up beneath the onslaught of pleasure that was again filling him. And then they reached around him, one hand flat against his belly while the other wrapped around his cock, working so that each thrust into him was matched by a stroke down his shaft.

He did not last long after that. His body went trembling and rigid and he felt the same shaking in his husband's body and he felt liquid heat spilling within him even as he spilled onto the sheets. He squeezed his eyes so hard a flurry of colors danced behind his lids as a single, unbroken moan poured from his lips.

When it was over he was gently lowered onto his side, well away from where the sheets had been messed.

"Did I please you, husband?" Loki whispered.

He got a lazy kiss upon his cheek. "You did. You did so well."

"I want to do perfectly."

"You will. I will teach you. We have so many nights."


	2. Losing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scent of the day - BPAL, Cup of Death

Loki's life fell into an easy rhythm, passing his solitary days exploring the island. When the weather was cool, he would walk along the seaside, collecting shells on the sandy beach or clambering onto the rocks and peering into the tidepools, each one its own little world; he also loved running through the fields, feeling his hair streaming behind him and the sun peeking from between the clouds to kiss his face. When it was hot he would make his way through the western forest to where the laughing stream widened into a pool before making its inevitable seaward path. The palace was the only building on the island, he found; during the day he was all alone save for the invisible hands that brought him everything he wished. He had no complaints about the solitude. He had loved his family, very much, but they had been so enraptured by his beauty that he was never allowed outside without being surrounded by so many guards that he could see nothing but men and sky.

And his nights... oh, his nights. He received a visit every night. When his husband was quiet, he was kindness and gentleness itself; when he was roused, he was at once greedy and selfless in his passion. Loki never failed to find the most delirious pleasures in his arms.

"Might I see you?" Loki would whisper sometimes.

"Do you need that to know me?" his husband would ask in answer. Loki liked resting his head on his husband's chest when they talked. It made his voice even lower and so rumbly it sounded almost like thunder, and he would stroke Loki's hair affectionately.

"No," he would say.

Other times he would shyly ask, "May I know your name?"

"Why do you need that?"

"So I might know who you are."

His husband would pepper kisses on his face and answer, "I am the one who loves you."

And so it was that when his brothers arrived one day in one of their people's exploring ships, they found him very close to perfectly content.

"How did you find me?" Loki asked them.

"We asked the waves to carry us to you," answered Byleistr.

"How did you know I could be found?"

Helblindi answered, "We asked the wind for news of you."

"I am glad of it. You are very welcome here. Please, come inside the palace."

They followed him inside and watched as invisible hands covered the table in a massive feast. Each thing of which they ate was the most succulent they had ever tasted. No fruit had ever been so sweet, no bread so wholesome, no meat so savory. When they had eaten their fill, they went outside to sit in the garden.

Now, when Helblindi and Byleistr had sailed to find their brother, they had done so out of love, but seeing the luxury in which he lived, their hearts became sour.

"I am to be king, and I live not half so well," whispered Helblindi when Loki left them with the promise of returning with sweet leaves for them to chew.

"My wife is to be queen, and I live not half so well," answered Byleistr.

Loki returned with the leaves and these too were the best they had ever had. "My brothers, what has made your faces grow so long?" he asked them.

"We have been speaking of our fears for you. Tell us, brother, who is the monster to whom you have been wed?" Byleistr replied.

"I do not think he is a monster," Loki answered. "He is very kind."

"You do not think? My dearest, do you not know a monster when you see one?" asked Helblindi.

"Oh, but I have never seen him. He comes to me only at night."

"Well, what is his name?" Byleistr asked.

"I do not know."

Helblindi leaned forwards, his eyes wide. "And you are truly content with this state of affairs? What if he is fattening you up to eat you?"

"Oh! I- I _was_ content, but now..." Loki trailed off.

"Let me assure you, brother," said Byleistr, taking Loki's hand, "you can do no wrong if you follow my direction. Tonight, once he has fallen asleep, slip away and find a lamp. Turn it low, so the light will not wake him, and go look at his face."

Loki gave a determined nod. "You are right. I'll do it," he said.

They sat together, talking, until the growing coolness of the breeze made them notice the approaching dusk. "I trust you will stay the night," Loki told them.

"Alas, we have been gone too long. We must return home," they said.

"It was good of you to come," Loki answered.

He walked with them back to the shore and stood waving until the ship seemed no larger than a bird flitting on the horizon.

The feast that awaited him was particularly lavish that evening, as though to console him for his brothers's hasty departure. He ate well, as he always did, for he never failed to expend considerable energy once he retired for the night.

The balcony doors stood open to welcome the cool breezes and the smooth white sheets turned pink in the purple light. He lay down and fell asleep, and when he woke it was dark and he was no longer alone.

"You have come," he sighed, stretching luxuriously.

It earned him a soft laugh. "Have I ever not? Have I ever been inconstant in my duty?"

Loki twined his arms around the strong body above him. "You have not."

His hands drank in the easy shift of muscles as his husband lowered his head for kisses. Loki accepted them greedily, demanding more with sweet little moans. As always, he was given all of them he desired. By the time those warm lips began trailing down towards his throat he was aching with desire.

He was prepared as gently and completely as always, thick fingers working him open with sweet fragrant oil while more fingers and lips and tongue roused him to fever pitch. At some point he discovered they had shifted to their sides, his leg drawn up high on his husband's thigh and a strong arm curling around him, coaxing him still more open. When he tried to settle on his back to offer himself in welcome, a hand on his hip stopped him. His whimper of protest was hushed by another kiss, even longer, even lovelier, than the rest.

"I trust you learned how to ride as a boy?" he was asked.

He frowned in confusion. "I did. I had my own mare, even, until I came here."

A strong hand was splayed across his back, pulling him close and holding them together as his husband rolled to his back with Loki stretched out atop him. Loki's cock, which had become almost painfully hard under sweetly devoted ministrations, was pressed against his husband's. It was just as firm, just as hot, and the sensation sent such a wave of desire rippling through him that left him almost dizzy.

"Then perhaps you understand what I wish for you to do, if you would like."

Loki had learned quickly that it was in his own best interest to agree to whatever suggestions were made to him. The pleasures earned in doing so were varied and exquisite. It would be the height of folly for him to do other than as he did now, drawing his knees up and apart to plant them on the bed and rising to straddle the solid figure beneath him. It took only a little shuffling around before he was perfectly positioned, reaching back to take hold of his husband's cock.

Warm hands swirled over him, teasing his nipples, caressing his belly, taking in the trimness of his waist. "Oh, my dear husband. You carried to me such joy aboard your lonely ship. I hope I give you the same," he was told.

"You have, I swear it. My happiness is so near to complete. Only tell me your name," Loki pleaded yet again, certain he would receive no different answer, but he did.

"I cannot. I wish it were otherwise, but it has been forbidden. Once again I must ask that you trust the one who loves you."

Not knowing what answer to make, Loki said nothing. The thick cock in his hand was leaking slickness and he stroked it, once, twice, spreading it across the head before carefully lowering himself upon it.

It was not long after his arrival here that Loki had learned to be silent just at the moment he was entered. His husband's breath always caught right at that moment, quiet, too quiet for Loki to hear were he not listening for it. The sound, nearly as much as the sensation of being stretched and filled, always made his skin prickle in a way that later made him shiver with an intoxicating blur of anticipation and memory.

His husband's hands had settled at his waist and now they supported him as he slid down, taking more in inch by inch. It felt even thicker than usual, far too thick to take with anything like speed no matter how much he wanted it all.

A shaking whisper broke the quiet sounds of skin and air. "You are tighter than ever like this. Am I hurting you?"

"You have never hurt me." He was struck by a sudden doubt; he knew, from a thousand praises, that tight was good, but surely there had to come a point of _too_ tight. "Does it feel good?"

The fingers on his waist gave him a squeeze. "Far better than _good_. So many delicate muscles, all fluttering about me, clenching so beautifully... oh, my love, I can almost feel your heart."

 _And the next time we do this, I will know his name, I will know his face,_ Loki thought with a desperate thrill. Surely it could not be so very forbidden as his husband feared. He would learn what he wished to know and then they would be even happier together.

He was held so gently, so lovingly, until he was pressed to the heated skin beneath him. Even better than the caring touches was how those hands trembled, telling of the strain his husband bore in order to hold himself back. To be desired so desperately... Loki supposed that his admirers back home desired him when they gazed upon him, but none had dared act. None had dared these long, slow kisses, or these heated murmurs, or - _oh,_ that broad caress, up and down his cock as Loki started moving, cautious at first, then faster until he was bouncing and gasping and crying out.

He was so full and it was so good. Each night it seemed his body more easily received the thick shaft into itself. His husband kept one hand on Loki's hip while the other curled around his cock, so that with each rise up Loki was thrusting into the firm grip, each drop back down filling him again and it was impossible to say which was better and his motions stuttered as he drew close.

"Yes, husband, I'm so very near to it," he gasped.

The hand around his cock tightened, making him cry out in pleasure. "Let go, Loki. Let me hear you come for me, oh, my heart, cover me as I fill you."

"I- I don't think I..."

The warm hand was drawn away from his hip to slide upwards and press gently on his upper back, drawing him down. Loki collapsed forwards with a pleading whimper to drape himself onto his husband's body and then all he could do was lie still and _take_ as his husband thrust upwards into him in short, harsh strokes. It took only two before Loki came, crying out in a long broken wail. A moment later a sharp burst of heat told that he was not alone in his pleasure. He loved how it felt, the thick hot spend filling him up, marking him as someone beloved.

There were always kisses afterwards, so many kisses and of such sweetness Loki could have wept, were not each one a promise of a hundred more. He eased himself off only after his husband's cock had softened within him and slipped free with a spill of seed. He lay on his side, savoring kiss after kiss as they grew drowsy together.

When his husband was asleep, his breaths light and even, Loki rose and slipped into the passageway. There was a lamp kept hanging there, the oil low, just enough to light his way should he have a need during the night. His heart sped with excitement as he took it from its hook and returned to the bedroom, holding it up high to cast the widest net of light.

 _Thor_. His husband was not a monster but a god, the son of the very goddess whom the people said his beauty mocked. God of thunder... and fertility, Loki thought, as more seed began to leak from him. And for all his martial prowess he had been gentleness itself when that was what Loki needed, passionate as the storms he commanded.

Loki could not resist lowering the lamp to cast its rays more fully on the sleeping face. Thor was beautiful, with long lashes dusting perfect cheeks, a generous mouth, the lips so red they seemed unreal. He gazed a moment more before straightening, reluctant despite the knowledge that he had to return the lamp to its hook before Thor woke. To his horror, he watched helpless as a thin ribbon of burning oil fell from the lamp and spattered onto that broad firm chest. Thor woke instantly and sprang up with a cry of lament. "Oh, Loki, why could you not have faith?" he asked. He took up his hammer and with one powerful swing he was through the balcony doors and gone.

Loki was left alone, staring at the sky and weeping bitterly at his folly.


	3. Gaining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOTD- Serge Lutens Rahat Loukoum
> 
> Enjoy!

Loki sat on the floor weeping until morning. As the sun rose, so did he. He went down to the great hall where his meals usually awaited him to find nothing at all. He showed no care and strode through and out, down to the shore and his small ship. Without a look back, he climbed in and set his sails. 

Under his skilled guidance, his ship reached the mainland in half the time it had taken him to leave it. He left it in the harbor and walked through the town and out into the wilderness, ignoring all hails of his return. There was a temple to Frigga on a far-off hillside, and he meant to begin there. He slept under a bush and when he rose he continued on. When he reached the temple the goddess was waiting for him. 

"Great lady," he said with a bow, "can you help me find my husband?" 

"Poor child. If you wish to have Thor back, first you must go to his mother and beg her forgiveness." 

"Her forgiveness? What have I done?" 

"You have offended her with your beauty." 

"But that's not my fault. I didn't ask to look this way." 

"I know," answered Frigga. Her voice was soothing and melodious. "You are not to blame, but you must beg forgiveness all the same if you wish your husband returned to you." 

"Thank you," Loki stammered. 

She smiled at him and it was like all the world was filled with comfort and love. A true mother-goddess, indeed. "You are very welcome. Now go over to her temple and say whatever you must say to get Thor back. He misses you." 

He bowed and kissed her hand. "My thanks, great lady." 

She bestowed upon him another of those radiant smiles and was gone in a shower of gold. 

Gaea's temple was a four day walk away. It was a difficult journey for the young prince who had been so coddled, but he did not hesitate. When his feet blistered he ignored them. When his muscles ached he ignored them. He ate only the berries that grew along the path and drank only water from the laughing streams that crossed it. At night he sheltered under brambles. By the time he reached her temple, his clothes and arms were torn and filthy and each step was pain. 

"Arrogant boy," said Gaea as he crossed the threshold. "You dare come to _me_ for aid?" 

"Great lady, I am sorry you were offended. I have never aimed to rival you." 

"Even now my son lies abed, healing from the injury you have dealt him." 

"I meant him none. I love him and I wish his happiness. He is my husband and I want him home." 

Her eyes flashed. "If you want him for a husband I must be satisfied of your worth. In the storeroom you will find an offering made to me of grains and beans. Separate them before nightfall to prove to me your industry." 

He bowed. "I will." 

It was only once he found the offering that he fell into despair. It was a large offering, far too much to be separated had he ten times the granted time. This was no test, but mockery. 

He felt something tug upon his robe and looked down to find a mouse sitting upon his foot. "Do not weep, Loki. My friends and I can accomplish on your behalf that which you cannot." More mice appeared, scurrying out until he was surrounded by tiny, cheerful faces. 

"I thank you," he said. "May I ask why you would help me?" 

"We are fond of Thor, and he sighs for you," answered another. 

"At that he managed a weak smile. "You sound like Frigga," he told her. 

"It was she who gave us the power of speech, that we might aid you. You are weary; go rest while we complete your task." 

He thanked them again and lay down on the cloth bag which had held the offering. It was thin, but after days of sleeping on the earth he was grateful for it. Sleep came quickly and the next thing he knew was a mouse waking him to say the work was done. 

When she saw that all had been perfectly sorted, Gaea fell into a fury. "The sheep in the field beyond the stream grow a fleece of gold. Tomorrow, you will go there and gather me three strands." 

This task did not seem so difficult, and he bowed his acknowledgement. When he went to cross the stream the next morning, though, it sang out a warning. "The sheep are fierce, Loki! Do not go among them or you will be trampled." 

His eyes grew wide. "I have known only gentle sheep," he said. 

"Wait until the afternoon, when they have moved to the lower field, and then gather the fleece that has caught in the brambles. Once you have it hurry back. Your husband pines for you." 

"I thank you for your counsel," he said, settling down on its bank. "You speak like Frigga." 

"It was she who gave me the power of speech, that I might aid you." 

Loki waited until the sun had passed its zenith before crossing the brook, and there in the brambles he found much more fleece than Gaea had demanded. 

Gaea's rage burned when he presented the fleece to her. "My beauty has been reduced in having to deal with you and all the troubles you have caused. Tomorrow you will take this box to Hel and ask that she send me some of hers. From the good side." 

The next day Loki trembled, for he knew only one way to Hel. He went to a high cliff and prepared to throw himself from it when the wind cried out for him to stop. "If you follow my directions, you will find the bridge that will carry you to Hel and back in safety." 

"Oh, wind, have you seen my husband?" Loki asked. 

"I have flown through the window of his rooms and seen him. He recovers and he weeps for you." 

"I thank you for your aid. Did Frigga gave you the power of speech, that you might aid me?" 

"She did," answered the wind, and it went on to give him careful orders. 

He thanked it and followed the directions to the letter and it was not long before he returned to the realm of the living. It was then he began to worry that all his trials had depleted his own beauty, and he knew Thor would find him soon. "Is it right that he should find me less beautiful than when he left?" Loki said, and he opened the box to take the beauty for himself. 

He fell at once into a deep sleep from which Thor woke him. "You simply cannot resist your curiosity, can you?" he asked, his voice warm with amusement. "Well, I suppose I must love you how you are." 

Loki reached up for Thor's face, so familiar beneath his fingers and still so new to his eyes. "I suppose you must." 

* 

Thor scooped Loki up in one massive arm and hefted his hammer with the other. He had expected – he had hoped – that Thor would carry them back to their home then, but he did not. Instead they flew together to Asgard, the seat of the gods, where Thor made the most heartfelt supplications to his father. Odin granted his favor and summoned Idunn, who brought with her a basket of golden apples. 

"Eat of these apples, Loki, and be immortal, forever joined with your beloved Thor," Odin said. 

Loki took the proffered apple from the goddess and sank his teeth into the faint pink blush. The juice flooded his mouth and sent a vigor throughout until he felt it from tip to toe. 

"I thank you, great lord," Loki said with a bow. 

"And I thank you as well, father," said Thor. 

Odin waved a hand in dismissal. "It is only right that my son's heart, once given, be treasured all his long life." 

Loki bowed again. "And so it shall be." 

There being nothing more to say, Thor took them up once again, high into the skies, so high they could see nothing but clouds for so very long, and when they descended, Loki laid his eyes on the home he had never thought to see again. 

Thor took them straight to the balcony of their bedroom. 

The sun shone through the open door and neither made any move to close it. After so much time in darkness, Loki wanted to gaze forever upon Thor's face. "And I long to hear you crying out my name," Thor replied when Loki told him. 

Despite their urgency they undressed almost leisurely, taking turns removing single garments from the other. Thor's eyes on Loki's skin were heated and demanding; Loki knew that his, skimming over that gleaming golden skin he had known only by touch, could only be the same. 

"This is beautiful," Thor said as he skimmed his lips over the curve of Loki's shoulder. 

"This is beautiful," Loki whispered as he kissed the hollow of Thor's throat. 

"So lovely," Loki said against Thor's broad chest. 

"So lovely," murmured Thor against the narrow swell of Loki's hip. 

What delicious indulgence it was, to see reflected in Thor's face all the pleasure that before Loki had only heard. Lazy, half-drowsy smiles when Loki nibbled at his earlobes, when Loki sucked upon his nipples. Tight-squeezed eyes and gasping mouth when Loki licked his cock, when Loki took his balls lightly in his mouth. 

After a time Thor gathered himself to turn and sit on the side of the bed, Loki still stretched out on his belly with his head bobbing in Thor's lap. Thor stroked his shoulders, his back, down to tease at Loki's cleft and give an affectionate squeeze to one pert cheek. His hand left only briefly and when it returned it was wet and slick. Loki shifted his legs farther apart. 

"Mmmm," he purred when a finger slid easily inside. This was the first time he was filled everywhere at once and he knew immediately it would not be the last. 

The intimacy of Thor's cock in his mouth and the wordless sounds Thor made when Loki did something _just so_ always left him hard and eager. He loved the feeling of his lips stretched taut, he loved the gentle musk that filled his nose, and most of all he loved when Thor spilled with Loki's name on his lips. There was something thrilling about it, and about how Thor would tend to him afterwards with his own generous lips and skillful tongue. But much as he loved that, tonight would be different. Loki knew, though he did not know how – something in Thor's eyes, perhaps, or in the tone of his voice – that Thor would be satisfied with nothing other than a shared climax tonight. 

Thor began slowly, letting Loki's body adjust, but soon he was matching the pace Loki set, sliding in as far as he could go each time Loki leaned down, taking everything he could, and withdrawing when Loki eased back. When Loki paused to suckle upon the smooth head and catch his breath, Thor would tease, circling and tapping but not entering until Loki dove back down. 

A second finger came, twisting and spreading to work him open and curling to make him want, and by the time a third was added Loki was arching his back, curling his hips up to meet it, and his cock-stifled moans filled the room. 

"Loki. You are ready. How do you wish this?" Thor asked, his voice gone even deeper as it always did when he was roused. 

Loki struggled up to his elbows as Thor slipped free his teasing fingers. "On my back," he said after a moment's thought. "On my back, looking up at you." 

Thor pulled him up for kisses, then, unable to resist Loki's love any more than Loki could resist his. "You are mine, and I am so very happy to be yours," he said. 

"My own _god_ ," Loki murmured. 

" _My_ own god," Thor answered. 

Loki crawled up the bed, swaying his hips for Thor to watch, and settled upon his back with his hair strewn artfully upon the crisp white pillows. 

Thor rose and came to hover above him, his knees between Loki's wide-stretched legs. His hair looked like silk and the light caught his warm blue eyes and made the love glowing within them shine all the brighter. Loki reached up and traced his smiling lips. "I love you. Have I told you?" 

Thor's smile broadened. "Never in those words." He lowered his hips and reached down to guide himself into place. 

"I do. I love you. I love- _hah!_ " he gasped as Thor pushed in. 

"I am glad of it," Thor said. 

Thor's pace testified to his desire; where he usually began slowly, waiting until Loki was half-frantic before granting him the speed he begged for, tonight he seemed unable to restrain himself. Nor did Loki wish for anything but what he had. It was almost like a second chance at a first time, for so many things were new – Thor's name on his lips as they spilled over in praise, the sight of one another as they moved together, striving for their shared pleasure, Loki's body, newly divine. 

Loki wrapped his legs high around Thor's waist and let his hands roam free, gliding over the rich curves of Thor's arms, the pleasing swell of his chest (and wasn't it intoxicating to see, as well as hear, Thor's reaction to Loki's fingers as they pinched his taut pink nipples), the broad smooth planes of his stomach. Thor watched him through it all as though entranced. 

"You look at me as though you have never been in love before," Loki said shyly. 

Oh, he felt like Valhalla, his rhythm unbreaking even as he answered, "Because I haven't." 

"But the tales..." 

"Ah. The chroniclers tend to be rather inaccurate with what they term love." 

"But-" 

"I will give you a complete and accurate recounting. Later," Thor said firmly. 

Thor punctuated his words with an abrupt thrust in and all thought of conversation fled Loki's mind. Loki cried out, in shock nearly as much as pleasure. "Thor, that... oh, that felt so good. Do it again, just like that." 

Thor did it again. 

"Ah! Oh, Thor, faster. If only you knew how I need it..." 

The pleasure singing through his veins seemed double of any time before. Triple, more... so very much more that a mortal body could not contain it. 

"I'll be able to go faster if you bring your legs up." 

Loki gave Thor a last quick squeeze - which pulled him deeper, which made them both moan - and folded himself until his knees were bracketing his head. Thor moved with him as though unwilling to let their bodies part for a single instant, and the moment Loki was settled into position Thor was giving him what he needed, his hips a blur of motion as he pummeled fast and hard. 

He could feel the exquisite tension building, deep in his belly, twisting and tightening with each delicious thrust into him, "Mmmm, so close, Thor... oh, my love, I-" 

Thor reached between them and took Loki's cock in his huge hand and began to stroke in unison with his hips, once, twice, and Loki was spilling, squeezing down and crying out as the coiled energy sprang free and filled his vision with brilliant stars. His own ecstatic motions, twisting and jerking and writhing and trying to get Thor deeper set Thor off and each heated burst inside was like Valhalla, his love filling him with love. 

Thor pulled him close into his arms when it was over, holding him and burying his face in Loki's hair. "I missed you," he murmured. 

"I thought I would never see you again." 

"And yet you did not give up." 

"How could I? You are mine. Only say you forgive me and I will be complete." 

"You were curious. If you were other than yourself, I would not love you so." 

"Then forgive me for your injury. I never meant to hurt you." 

"It is nothing more than a scar now. No matter." 

Loki tilted his head back to meet Thor's lips before speaking again. "A scar? Now that I am a god, perhaps we must learn if I have the power to kiss it better." 

And so he did. 


End file.
